Empowering women to bike and biking to empower women

As more of my blog postings and cycling community activities revolve around supporting women’s cycling on many levels, I’m meeting other women who feel as strongly and do something about it. Below is a link to a great list of female-identified rides and groups/companies that offer support for women’s cycling. Feel free to add to the list, too!

In the spirit of Crash Marathon we will be riding from the East Side to the West Side for brunch. This is not for the faint of heart, but you will work up an appetite. The ride is approximately 15 miles one way.

We’ll be meeting the The Bicycle Kitchen/La Bicicocina in East Hollywood. They run a really great night on Mondays for Women/Trans/Femme only, creating a safe space for us to learn how to fix our bikes and swap knowledge. Check it out some Monday if you can.

Our route will take us through Hollywood along Fountain, through West Hollywood, the residential part of Beverly Hills and then down along the Ballona Creek Bike Path. We plan to stop by Menotti’s for a cup o’ joe, since it is a fellow cyclist’s new shop, on our way to Gjelina.

If anyone would like to volunteer to meet us at Gjelina with a vehicle that has a bike rack for those who would like to do half of the ride please send an email to the address below. You can also catch the Gold Line from Culver City, if you would prefer to digest brunch on a mode of transportation other than your bicycle.

PLEASE MAKE SURE TO RSVP TO: brakingthelimits@gmail.com so we can make a reservation in advance!

This month, Bike Talk, a KPFK and KillRadio.org podcast, hosted 9 amazing women to discuss women and biking. I was thrilled and honored to be included in this podcast. We discussed issues from safety to cat-calling and everything in between. The group consisted of ride leaders, social justice leaders, and community leaders – read everyone’s short bio on the website. I feel each of these women is forging a new LA that is equal, fair, safe and enjoyed by bicycle.

Give a listen to the podcast here. It’s not long but it’s well worth it.

We’re setting the tone for another year of pedaling ahead of us with our first bike brunch of the month. This month we’re going to ride over to Auntie Em’s Kitchen in Eagle Rock for some (almost) home-cooked comfort food. Don’t be afraid of the yummy calories we’ll consume, you’ve got a whole year of fun rides ahead of you!

This time we’ll be meeting the The Bicycle Kitchen/La Bicicocina in East Hollywood. They run a really great night on Mondays for Women/Trans/Femme only, creating a safe space for us to learn how to fix our bikes and swap knowledge. Check it out some Monday if you can. Our route will take us through Atwater Village into Eagle Rock, showing off the new bike lanes on Glendale Blvd.

Also want to give credit to Brianna, new bruncher and new Angeleno, for helping to jumpstart the energy and planning for this year’s W/T/F Bike Brunch. She’s a behind-the-scenes gem of a friend who should be recognized for her efforts. You can get to know her better through her website The Sister Sledge or meet her on January 26th.

Email me to RSVP – brakingthelimits(at)gmail(dot)com!

Extra special thanks to Nicole for creating the artwork. Check her out at Taliisman.

For the start of fall (end of fall?), let’s celebrate female power in biking with a tribute of movies on the big screen. OK, big wall. The Bicycle Kitchen’s Bicycle Bitchen night is co-hosting with me a bike-in movie night showcasing 4 shorts and films featuring female power!

November 16 starting at 5:30PM at the Bicycle Kitchen, 4429 Fountain Ave at Virgil Ave.

Let’s make it a sweets and treats POTLUCK! We’ll have popcorn and spiced apple punch (spiked perhaps?). Bring your blankets and chairs. Plenty of bike parking.

MOVIE LINEUP:

Bike love, the story about a girl and her love for her bike. Shot around Los Angeles and featuring an active member of the Angelopes and MR. Directed by Rick Darge.

Georgena Terry: The Movie
Amanda Zackem’s documentary about Terry, the woman who founded Terry bicycles and revolutionized the women’s biking industry by creating a frame specific to a woman’s body.

Brokeback Mountain Bikes
Starring Glenys del Marvellous and Jacqui Twister this is the story of two cowgirls who ride their folding bikes through the wild west and fall into the naughty tent, boots and all!

Racing Is Life: The Beryl Burton Story
For those that have heard the name but know very little about Beryl Burton, Beryl was a no nonsense Yorkshire tomboy who won the RTTC Best All Rounder 25 years in a row from 1959 until 1983. She was 7 times world champion in the 3,000 metre pursuit and on the road – all while being a mother and holding down jobs on fruit farms in West Yorkshire.

It’s back after a hiatus! Happy to welcome summer to LA and what spells summer better than a PICNIC! I’ll be teaching a workshop on the morning of June 29 with the Dorothy Wong at Red5 Yellow7 that is called How To Bike in LA Traffic: Street Riding. You can RSVP at the Facebook page here. It’s part of a 2-workshop series on the topic. So join the classroom discussion event on the Thursday before. Red5 Yellow7 is an art space connected to the Orange 20 bike shop in East Hollywood and run by Nona Varnado, writer of the The Bird Wheel blog.

anyWAY, we’ll be starting the short bike ride to the picnic from the Red5 Yellow7/Orange 20 corner on Heliotrope and Melrose, one block west of Vermont. We’ll depart at 12:00pm and head on a simple 5-mile route to the Silver Lake Meadow, the newly created lawn connected to the Silver Lake Reservoir. Closest to the end of the meadow, heading north up Silver Lake Blvd and toward the corner of Armstrong and Silver Lake Blvd, will be a tall blue beach umbrella set up. That marks our spot. I’ll be bringing mimosas, pastries and sweets. Please bring whatever you’d like! I’ll have cups, silverware and plates for us too. It should be a beautiful afternoon!